A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ruled that former President Goodluck Jonathan is legally qualified to contest the 2027 presidential election.
The judgment, delivered on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, by Justice Peter Lifu, affirmed that Jonathan remains eligible to participate in the presidential election and cannot be barred from seeking political office.
The case was filed by Johnmary Jideobi, who asked the court to prevent Jonathan from offering himself to any political party as a candidate for the 2027 general election.
The plaintiff also urged the court to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (Independent National Electoral Commission) from accepting, processing, or publishing Jonathan’s name as a presidential candidate, arguing that he is disqualified under Sections 1(1), (2), (3), and 137(3) of the 1999 Constitution.
Jonathan, who served as Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015, has recently been linked with renewed political moves ahead of the 2027 elections.
The ruling comes shortly after a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, reportedly granted Jonathan a waiver and floated the possibility of him contesting under the party’s platform.
The development had intensified political debate over whether the former president could lawfully return to the race after previously occupying the office.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu held that Jonathan is not barred from contesting and is free to seek election under any political party.
The decision removes a major legal hurdle that could have prevented him from participating in the 2027 presidential race and places him among key political figures expected to influence the build-up to the election.
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